Chapter 2014: "Mother"

Chapter 1995: "Mother"

He Lingchuan followed almost immediately, slapping its shoulder again.

The Shoulder-Squatting Beast instantly sprang to life, transforming into a fire lion taller than a man, spewing true flames in all directions!

Its flames, tinged with white and blue, incinerated everything. Monsters in the front row instantly vaporized, those in the middle were reduced to cinders, and the ones at the back shrieked, rolling on the ground to extinguish the fires.

Twenty zhang remained.

He Lingchuan could now clearly see a small lake at the bottom of the valley, spanning about five mu, its surface remarkably calm and still.

From behind, Chong Wu roared, "He Xiao, prepare to die!"

Seeing he couldn't catch up to He Lingchuan, he hurled his spear like a javelin, aiming for He Lingchuan's back.

This technique was known as the "Distracting Spear"; once thrown, it spun forward, accelerating rapidly, becoming a blur of lightning and fire just before reaching the enemy, making it incredibly difficult to parry.

Even with He Lingchuan's skill, he only had time to turn and face the incoming spear.

However, he also took the opportunity to summon the Soul-Snatching Mirror, transforming it into a shield to block in front of him.

With a crisp "clang," the spear pushed him and his shield back ten zhang, threatening to propel him into the lake.

Yet, at the last moment, the spear suddenly transformed into a fire serpent, a snakehead emerging from the front of the shield, fiercely attacking He Lingchuan's eyes.

This was completely unexpected; if it had hit, he would surely have been blinded.

The Blood Demon nearby also jumped in surprise, about to intervene, when the fire serpent suddenly recoiled downwards, as if pulled back by something.

It struggled desperately but couldn't resist the irresistible force, and with a whoosh, it was sucked into the mirror shield.

"It's Qingyang's move again!" the mirror huffed, "Good thing I had foresight!"

The Blood Demon couldn't be allowed to hog all the glory; the mirror was its master's most loyal guardian!

When He Lingchuan was stealing treasure from the Stargazing Pavilion in the Heavenly Palace, Qingyang had emerged from prison and shot his first arrow this way. At that time, He Lingchuan also used the mirror shield to block, and the arrow, transforming into a fire serpent for a sneak attack, was directly pulled into the mirror's world.

This was one of Qingyang's signature tricks, and it seemed he had taught it to Chong Wu.

Practice makes perfect; the mirror was seasoned.

"My spear!" Chong Wu ground his teeth, watching helplessly as his powerful attack inadvertently sent He Lingchuan on his way, pushing him directly into the lake.

Plop.

After entering the water, He Lingchuan spun around, clearly seeing the scene beneath the lake.

The lakebed was unlit, actually very dark, especially for someone who had just entered the water, appearing as a pitch-black expanse.

However, the Chaohu Yaksha was originally a creature that dwelled in the lightless deep sea. With the Yaksha Halberd in hand, He Lingchuan seemed to gain the Yaksha's ability to see in the deep ocean; dim light and undulating water could not obstruct his vision.

He almost immediately spotted a person hidden at the bottom of the calm lake!

A woman.

She lay face up on the lakebed, her limbs and torso densely wrapped in strange greyish-white bands.

The ends of these bands seemed to be integrated with her, while the other ends spread flat along the lakebed, connecting to unknown destinations.

The entire lakebed was almost covered in greyish-white.

This wasn't spider silk, He Lingchuan immediately recognized; these were tendons, tendon after tendon!

Elastic, with flesh and blood.

The woman was so entangled that only her face was exposed; her eyes were tightly shut, and her expression was one of extreme pain.

Seeing this scene, He Lingchuan knew his deduction was correct.

She was the "eye" of the strange formation outside, and also the "mother" to which countless monsters were attached!

He Lingchuan was still at least ten zhang away from her, but two more figures, also monsters, darted out from beside the woman. Their bodies resembled crocodiles or lizards, with flat, long tails that could be used as rudders, making them incredibly agile for steering and propulsion.

They moved through the water, shooting towards He Lingchuan like torpedoes.

At this moment, splashing sounds also came from behind, more densely packed than dumplings being dropped into water.

He Lingchuan didn't need to turn around to know that the monsters on shore had also jumped in. The foreign enemy was heading straight for the "mother," and they were desperate.

Monsters were everywhere: front, back, above, and below!

And this was all underwater.

He Lingchuan twirled his halberd, and the calm pond water suddenly became turbulent.

He then spun half a circle in the water, using the halberd like an axe, chopping fiercely towards the lakebed.

This wave of halberd wind energy did not dissipate in the water; instead, it became more exaggerated, more solid, and faster as it propagated. By the time it crossed over ten zhang, the condensed water-axe was already five zhang long!

Its sharpness was no less than that of a divine weapon.

Back then, water-axes like this had left wound after wound on the Azure Dragon's tough scales.

When it reappeared in the world, it decisively severed the woman and the two shadowy figures before him with a single axe strike, quick as a blink.

He Lingchuan was certain that this strike was the best release for her.

He had seen precedents and knew the agony of being used as a "mother," which was like a living hell.

A dense mass of blood burst into the lake, far exceeding the total blood volume of a single human body.

This was the source of vitality the Blood Demon had spoken of.

Immediately after this halberd strike, the monsters that had been vigorous and tireless both in the lake and on land suddenly collapsed en masse, twitching repeatedly as if their bones had been forcibly extracted.

Subsequently, their bodies began to dissolve, even faster than those affected by the Yaksha Halberd's "All is Illusion" ability.

Within thirty breaths, the previously living monsters transformed into pools of bloody pus on the ground and in the lake.

Only five monsters remained standing, their forms originally distinct from the others.

As He Lingchuan had said, they were not "consumables" temporarily created. One of them was larger than its companions, with a more gaunt and ferocious appearance. It had just wounded two Black-Armored Army soldiers within ten breaths and then fought to a stalemate with Luo Xie.

But now all the monsters snarled softly towards the center of the lake, their pupils showing fear in addition to hatred.

The hazy sky suddenly cleared, as if a barrier had been lifted, and fresh air rushed in, bringing a cool sensation to everyone's faces.

It was spiritual rain caressing their faces.

The strange formation completely vanished after He Lingchuan plunged into the lakebed and the pond water suddenly vibrated violently.

But the hearts of Chong Wu and his men plummeted into an ice cellar.

The monsters were gone, the environment had changed, and their last shred of hope for defeating He Xiao was snuffed out like a candle in the wind.

Without their most formidable opponent, the Black-Armored Army silently turned and advanced steadily towards the Bixia people.

Just then, another figure emerged, walking step by step out of the lake.

Emperor Jiuyou!

Black flames surged around him; these few steps seemed like a climb back to the mortal world from purgatory.

The Bixia people involuntarily retreated a few steps, uneasy.

Emperor Jiuyou was still holding two severed heads. Upon reaching the shore, he threw them towards General Chong Wu. The heads rolled twice on the ground, and everyone saw clearly that they were the heads of two monsters.

"Qingyang truly favors you, giving you even Flesh-and-Blood Fortresses and River Crossing Ghouls. It's just a pity that among the ghouls, the most powerful Torturer is missing."